2019

Pursuing Excellence

The power of metrics in performance improvement

by Brian Scullin

It’s
a bit ironic that, despite being in a position where my performance was
judged entirely on metrics, I ignored them. In fact, I knew I was
underperforming, but being so immature, I just wasn’t eager to receive the
proverbial slap in the face and see the reports that aggregated my
performance-based statistics.

I’m not talking about preparing for a
mid-year review or my years in quality management and process improvement.
Rather, I’m referring to my collegiate football career as a punter. This is the
story of my journey from lackadaisical and passive performance to data-driven
dominance.

Metrics matter

For three seasons, I struggled mightily
in my role, and my inattention to statistics indicated I was not earnestly
pursuing greatness. What’s worse, my performance metrics were on countless
websites, such as ESPN and CBS Sports, for anyone in the world to see. This
kind of transparency was absolutely frightening, and rather than accepting it
and learning from it, I continued to neglect it.

That all changed between my junior and
senior-year seasons. After a series of conversations with my coaches, I was
inspired to take ownership of my performance.

First, I identified an extensive list of
more than 20 metrics from which I could learn about my
performance—successes and failures. After reviewing three years of
performance data, it was difficult to accept the fact that the failures
seriously outnumbered the successes to date, but this acceptance was a critical
step in my personal journey to the elite level.

Second, I reviewed the statistics for each
top performer in my conference. Specifically, I sorted through the 20-plus
metrics and prioritized the five key measurements to address based on the
correlation between league-leading statistics and post-season accolades (the true
performance indicators). Needless to say, it became clear through gap analysis
that I underperformed in each key category, as shown in Table 1.

Third, after I identified the five key
metrics on which I needed to focus—the "critical few"—I spent weeks
studying the best practitioners and adopting certain techniques into my own
repertoire to specifically improve my punting timing, distance and location.

Finally, with an effective approach in
place, I was able to refine my game and improve my on-field performance. The
shift from inattentive to passionate translated to sustained dominance and
completed my own pursuit of collegiate athletic excellence: I was the NCAA
statistical leader in net punting and was named all-conference and
all-American. I was then fortunate enough to earn the opportunity to try out in
two professional leagues: the National Football League and the United Football
League.

In short, focusing on the critical few
metrics enabled performance management—and excitement due to
accomplishment—unlike anything I had experienced before, and I owe it
entirely to my coaches who instilled a passion for taking ownership and to the
numbers that showed me the way.

Winning blueprint

How is this relevant to us, as quality
managers? As a lean Six Sigma practitioner focused on business strategy and
transformation, I can say the applicability is truly one-to-one: If managers
ignore objective, fact-based metrics, then they cannot make informed decisions
to help their organization improve in its pursuit of excellence.

Too
often, we see leaders who give performance ratings, bonuses and promotions
based on whether Sally was nice or Jimmy came in on weekends, rather than on
the items that matter most and tie directly to corporate goals.

So, how can we target elite status in our
own lives and professions? To enhance performance and process management, I
suggest the four-step approach I used in my athletic journey to elite and still
leverage today: the WINS formula.

1. Where
am I or where are we now? Data-driven identification of current-state areas of under and
over-performance. Gather all baseline metrics.

4.Sustained dominance. Manage effectively using the
few vital and transparent metrics.

Apply this winning blueprint fervently to
any aspect of life—personal or professional—and the benefits will undoubtedly
be reaped.

Brian Scullin is assistant
vice president of global transformation at a financial services organization in
New York. He has a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH, and
is currently completing his master’s degree at the London School of Economics. Scullin is a member of ASQ and a Villanova
University-certified Six Sigma Green Belt.